How does this make you feel?

In this black-and-white picture, you can see an abundance of boys raising their hands. They are all raising their hands with a sense of excitement or pride. One older gentleman is standing in the middle as if he is teaching them or directing them on what to do. They are dressed in, what looks like, uniforms of some sort; maybe military. Their faces are lit up with joy.



Whenever I seen this picture, it hit me hard. Many different emotions started running through my head; fear, sadness, anger. These are young children who have been taught to hail a mass murderer. The eager facial expressions of the boys, coupled with the uniforms give an overall impression of war and hatred. Hitler knew that these young boys would be more naturally taught and molded then adult men, who are more stern about their beliefs. So he used these boys to create the “master race” (Fundamentalist 1)


In today’s society, you don’t see things like this going on. But that’s not to say that it won’t or can’t. I believe that if somebody wanted to pose as a father figure and try to rule the U.S., they could…very carefully of course. “Many boys looked forward to entering the military. They had been trained to think that real men prove themselves in war.” (Wagner 1). The boys in this picture were born while the war was going on. They were raised to hate the Jews; war was all around them. They had no other choice than to think the same way that their father’s and mother taught them to think. Today, it would take time to get the children to hate something if you just sprung it on them, rather than raising them in it.



After I took a deeper look in to the picture, little things start to pop out. The boys are all blonde and are wearing their hair a certain style. They all have the same uniform on. The way the picture was taken, it shows that there were a lot of boys here hailing their “Father”. Their arms all up in the air show how much pride they all have. But it’s almost like a unison pride. Like if they were all bonded together as one. The picture is really a bit eerie if you really study it.


My overall analysis of the picture is very terrifying. This picture has really impacted me. I hope that when you look at it, that you really take the time to analyze the photo. It has a lot to say. Hitler was a very, very powerful man and this picture just shows how he could impact these adolescents. “There were many other methods Hitler used to effectively gain and hold control over his youth.” (Fundamentalists 3). Thankfully, he never got a chance to use them!

Working Bibliography

-Ericsson, Kjersti, and Simonsen, Eva. Children of World War II: The Hidden Enemy Legacy. Berg Publishers, 2005. Web. 20 Jan, 2010.
-Trueman, Chris. "Children of World War Two." Online Posting. Web. 21 Jan 2010. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/children_and_world_war_two.htm
-Fundamentalist Baptist Church. "How Did Hitler Control His Youth." Online Posting. Web. 21 Jan 2010. http://hitlercontrol.com/
-Wagner, Christopher. Hitler Youth: Mind Set. Online Posting. Web. 26 Jan 2010. http://histclo.com/Youth/youth/org/nat/hitler/mind/hitler-mind.htm

Research Prospectus: the affect that WWII had on Hitler's Youth

Research Question: How did World War II affect Hitler’s Youth? What caused the children to be the perfect race? Were they hidden from the rest of the world? Did Adolf Hitler have a positive or negative affect on them? Did Hitler leave a lasting impression on the children as shown in their life styles by the present day?
World War II affected several different people, including the children. When studying Hitler’s reign, you will find a lot of information about what he accomplished and the control he had. The main focus I would like to cover is how World War II affected Hitler’s Youth, also known as the children who were of the “perfect race”.
Adolf Hitler was a powerful man with a lot to conquer. The children, during this time, were majorly affected in several different ways. They were ripped out of school and were told that they were no longer equals. The children under Hitler were the “perfect race” and they were also told that anybody who didn’t look like them or believed the same way as them were snakes.
In this research paper, I hope to discover more knowledge, in depth, about what went on behind closed doors. I want to learn if the children of that time still lead a “perfect race” life. If now they still think that they are better then anybody who isn’t like them. I would also like to find out how all of this affected their everyday life.
I didn’t have many problems researching my topic. There is an abundance of information on World War II and Hitler’s reign. This was a huge topic in History. I did have success in finding videos that contained interviews of middle aged men and women who were kids in that time. In the interviews they were asked what they thought about all of it and how it changed them. There was one specific interview that I remember with a woman and she said that she was brought up thinking that her father and grandfather were heroes. But later found out that they were mass murderers.
I have found a lot of information on this topic. I might have to do a little bit of “digging” if I want to find out more specific, in depth information. Some information that was very fascinating to learn about and some information that almost brought me to tears by just reading it. Then I watched a few of those interviews and here comes the water works. It was so sad what Hitler did and I hate him for what he did. But then you have to look at it in another perspective and realize how powerful he really was and what all he conquered. This man did amazing things, yes they were awful and horrible, but he accomplished them without any trouble.

First Post

This is my first blog post.